MS Dhoni and Steve Smith shared the dressing room for two seasons when they played for the Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in the 2016 and 2017 seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni, who donned the yellow jersey of the Chennai Super Kings since the inception of IPL in 2008, was signed by RPS when CSK was banned for two years due to the spot-fixing scandal. Smith was part of the Rajasthan Royals which also got banned for two years due to the same reason.
Dhoni led RPS in 2016 but a shocking decision by the franchise saw Steve Smith captaining the side in 2017. The team had a wonderful season, finishing runners-up after losing the final against Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians by just one run.
After choosing to bat first at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, MI put on 129/8 in 20 overs with the help of Krunal Pandya’s 47. While chasing, Smith played a half-century knock, while Ajinkya Rahane scored 44 runs. When 11 runs were required off the last over, MI’s Mitchell Johnson held his nerve despite a boundary off his first ball. After scalping two back-to-back wickets off the next two balls, including that of Smith, MI crowned the IPL champions for the third time.
Steve Smith was shocked when he was given captaincy role over MS Dhoni
During his stint with the RPS and playing alongside MS Dhoni, Smith opened up about how he was impressed by Dhoni’s calmness and that’s the thing Smith has tried to learn and emulate from the World Cup-winning captain.
“Of course, he’s been able to achieve so much over such a long period of time, he’s going to go down as one of the best leaders to play the game for sure,” Smith told Star Sports.
“So when I got the call to say that they wanted me to captain, it was a little bit daunting,” the former Aussie skipper added. Smith was shocked at first that he was given the captaincy role over Dhoni and he didn’t know what to do at first. But after sorting everything, Smith said Dhoni had helped him and helped guide the team that year.
“I think just the calmness that MS shows, we saw it throughout his career, just how calm he was. It didn’t look like he was flustered by any emotions or anything like that,” Smith added. Smith went unsold in the 2022 IPL auction and his last appearance in the cash-rich league was for the Delhi Capitals in the 2021 season.
This year, Smith won’t be a part of any franchise but he will be a part of the commentary panel. But fans are yet to find out whether he will be on the mic for the TV or digital broadcaster.
After the ban, CSK made a comeback in 2018 and signed in Dhoni again. That same year, CSK lifted their third trophy. And in the 2023 season, the Chennai-based franchise will lock horns with defending champions Gujarat Titans in the season opener on March 31.
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